Rather me than you
by Devil-may-care101
Summary: Oneshot 3:24 Spoilers for that episode. How does Lindsay react to what happens in the warehouse? And what does Danny think about her reaction? Please r'n'r.


_Another oneshot from me. I hope you like it, please let me know if you do, i couldn't decide if i liked it or not._

_Spoilers of 3:24_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, even though i wish i could have Danny for myself. But that is just a wish. The song is alos not mine, and i had to search around for ages to find an appropriate song, so please let me know if you think it fits ok._

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

_Life without taking chances  
Is no kind of life at all  
You've gotta stand up for something  
Even if u might fall  
Shane:  
Gotta take that road  
Wherever it might go  
No matter where, no matter what  
I want you to know  
I want you to know_

_I...  
Tried to do my best  
To do the best I could  
I...  
Had to give my all  
It's what I had to do  
And I'd...  
Do it all again  
And that's the honest truth  
I...  
I did it for you_

_Maybe I was crazy  
I guess I was sometimes  
And maybe it's hard to change things  
But I had to know I tried  
Everyday you've got to live  
For what you believe  
Please understand  
I had no choice  
It's what had to be  
It's what had to be_

_I...  
Tried to do my best  
To do the best I could  
I...  
Had to give my all  
It's what I had to do  
**And I'd...  
Do it all again  
And that's the honest truth**  
I...  
I did it for you_

_Oh,  
And I had no choice, no  
It was something that I believed  
A dream that was driving me  
A fire inside of me_

_I Tried to do my best  
To do the best I could  
And I...  
Had to give my all  
It's what I had to do  
I'd...  
Do it all again  
And that's the honest truth  
I...  
I did it for you_

_Oh  
I...  
I did it for you  
I did it for you_

"Proof of life, you put one of my boys on the line, let me hear their voice. Know the others are alive, that'll definitely grease the wheels." The tension could be heard clearly through Flack's voice, but it was only truly obvious to those who knew him. The fact that Lindsay could hear Flack losing his cool meant that things were a lot worse than they seemed.

"_You wanna hear something? How about the sound of a guinea cop taking his last breath. Will that grease the wheels?" _With these words, Lindsay stopped breathing, frozen at the thought of Danny being hurt in any way.

"WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!" Now panic came through in Flack's voice, and Lindsay's heart plummeted further. Her knees nearly gave out when she saw that one of the mobile figures represented on the heat sensor moved towards the two stationary figures on the screen. This was not good.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a shout from inside the warehouse, and before she had time to react, the sound of gunfire filled her ears.

"IT'S GOING DOWN!LET'S MOVE! MOVE IN!"

Flack's voice echoed in Lindsay's head, but her body was already responding, gun in one hand, feet carrying her towards the warehouse entrance. She refused to let herself think about what might have happened, refused to accept the possibility that Danny, or Adam, might have been shot. She ignored the calls for her to stay back - she had to get to Danny. Needed to get to Danny. Needed to make sure that he was ok. Forcing her way through the numerous other Detectives and SWAT members, she rushed forward, her eyes seeking out the one thing she needed to see the most.

In the back of her mind, she heard Flack's yells for the men to drop their weapons, heard Adam come forward, begging them not to shoot, that they were cops. But she still couldn't see him.

Then she caught sight of him, towards the back of the room, trying to get out of the truck, but failing miserably. Rushing over, she tried unsuccessfully to hold back a gasp as she saw the extent of his injuries. She felt the intense guilt of his having to be there, after all it should have been her, he had taken her shift.

"Danny!"

Holstering her gun, she reached towards him, trying to get him down without causing him anymore damage. "Oh my…" Her voice trailed off, but gulping she tried again, refusing to let him see her weakness when he was in such a poor state. "Oh my god Danny."

"Lindsay." His voice was weak, and she could hear the pain coming through, just as she could see him grit his teeth and wince whilst trying to manoeuvre himself out of the truck. She reached up as he sat down on the edge, making it easier for her to move his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his back, practically supporting all of his weight. She tried hard not to wince as she saw his damaged hand clenched at his chest, instead helping him walk towards Don, who stood nearby.

"Danny." Alarm registered in Flack's voice as he took a mental account of his injuries.

"I'm good." Danny tried to maintain his tough image in front of his friend, not wanting him to see him so weak and vulnerable. This attempt failed as his voice came out weakly, hissing with the pain that it caused his ribs.

"You don't look good. Lets get EMS over here."

"I'll take him." Lindsay gently pushed Danny forwards, urging him towards where the paramedics were waiting.

"I'm sorry." She couldn't help herself, she felt so guilty about what had happened. She was angry at herself. If she'd woken up, if she hadn't let Danny take over her shift, then he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be so broken.

"What, what you sorry about?" The confusion in Danny's voice was genuine.

"You weren't supposed to be here, you took my shift."

Danny looked at Lindsay puzzled. Did she feel guilty? She had nothing to feel guilty for. In fact, he was glad that it had been him instead of her. If she'd been on her shift, if she'd been in the warehouse, if the Irish drug dealers had held her hostage instead of him…his heart ached to think about it. If she'd been here, then he was sure that she wouldn't have just been beaten. He knew that Lindsay could take care of herself, but she would have stood no chance against these thugs. Even the thought of them laying a hand against his Montana made his blood boil.

Letting Lindsay pull him towards the paramedics, he gave her a once over. On the surface, she looked fine, looked in control, but only someone who knew her as well as Danny did would be able to see that she was barely holding it together. She had the same look in her eyes as after the Holly's case a few months before. She was scared. Scared for him. Just thinking that gave him a fuzzy feeling.

Lindsay stepped backwards to let the paramedics do their job. She watched them work on Danny, assessing all of his injuries and whether or not he needed hospital attention. She watched him wince as they put a hand against his ribs, and again when they tried to touch his jaw. Both left him hissing in pain and reeling back from their touch.

"Detective Messer, we need to get you to the hospital. You need to get a couple of X-rays to view the extent of the injuries to your jaw and ribs, and we need to get you some medication to take away the worst effects of the pain."

"Nah, guys, I'm fine, honestly. A bit of rest and I'll be as good as new." Danny tried to play down the pain he was in, not wanting Lindsay to think that he was weak. He tried to smile at her as the paramedics shook their heads disapprovingly, but gulped when he saw the steely glint in her eyes.

"You're going Messer, whether willingly or whether I have to drag you there myself."

Opening his mouth to argue, he soon closed it again. He wouldn't win. As kind and caring she could be, he knew that when she had her mind made up, nothing (except maybe Mac, and even that was a long shot) would make her change her mind. Nodding, he climbed into the back of the ambulance, watching as Lindsay followed without hesitation, sitting next to him and holding his undamaged hand, letting the paramedics do their job without interfering.

* * *

Once they arrived at the hospital, Danny was whisked away, and Lindsay was left in the waiting room. She tried hard not to think about what had happened that day, instead trying to think about what had happened the night before. She smiled as she recalled the memory. She'd told him that she'd beat him at pool. Which she had. She wasn't usually so brazen when it came to men, but after spending so much time with Danny, teasing him and joining in with his playful banter, and with the added advantage of having tequila in her system, she couldn't help herself. For once she was glad that she'd initiated the first move, for that night on the pool table was one she'd never be able to forget.

After a while, Flack came to join her, after explaining what had gone down back at the crime lab. She listened in shock as she realised that not only had Danny and Adam been in danger, so had Mac, Stella and Hawkes. Their whole team could have been lost in one day. Flack informed her that Mac had gone off to London with Peyton, and that Stella and Hawkes were back at the lab, trying to salvage what was left of the lab. Lindsay herself had seen Adam in the ER, sporting a few bruises and a severely scarred hand.

Lindsay and Flack waited for over an hour before Danny came back out. The doctor was wheeling him in a wheel chair, and the only reason that they were alerted to Danny's presence before they saw him was because they could hear him complaining about how he didn't need to be wheeled around like an invalid.

"Sounds like Danny." Flack joked, glad that Lindsay smirked along with him. Flack had been well aware of the tension between his two best friends, and had been unsure as how to go about getting them together. But to him, it looked like he didn't need to do anything. Seeing Lindsay's reaction to the hostage situation had just confirmed his belief that something had happened between the two, and he was glad that they'd sorted it out between them before he'd had to resort to getting Stella to bash their heads together.

"So Messer," He began, "You trying to give us all a heart attack?"

"Haha Flack very funny."

The doctor stepped him. "Detective Messer has sustained some serious injuries - he has a mild concussion, a few broken ribs, a crushed hand and a sprained wrist. Saying al that, he is very lucky, none of the injures are serious and will heal by themselves quite quickly. He should take a couple of days off work so that he can rest, which should speed up the healing process, and should be able to go back to work by the end of the week, providing that he doesn't do any serious lifting with his hand for at least 6 weeks. With the painkillers I've prescribed him, he should be fine again in no time at all."

"Can I get up now?" Danny said impatiently.

"Yes you can, just don't go rushing around and doing anything to strenuous. We'll see you in a couple of weeks to assess how the hand is healing." With that the doctor smiled and walked away.

"God, what you CSI's do for a sick day." Flack muttered, just loud enough for the two CSI's to hear him. He smirked at them, but yelped when Lindsay swatted him around the head. Dodging about of the way of a second slap, he said quickly "Come on Messer, let's get you home."

* * *

The whole way back, Lindsay sat in silence, whilst the other two talked about what had happened after Flack had vacated the warehouse. Danny could tell that Lindsay was upset, but decided not to push it until he got her alone - he knew how much she hated other people seeing her weaknesses. Flack also noticed how quiet she was, but wisely said nothing, keeping Danny entertained with details about what happened to the Irish thugs they took down earlier.

It wasn't too long until they reached Danny's apartment. Flack made no comment when Lindsay got out of the backseat and went around to help Danny out of the car. Flack was surprised that Danny didn't complain about him not being an invalid, and that he could manage by himself, but then, Flack reasoned, Danny probably enjoyed being so close to his Montana.

Deciding to leave them to it, so they could talk, Flack spoke. "Right, I'm off now. If you need something Messer, do not be too stubborn to call, it's about time I paid you back for the help you gave me after the explosion. I'll come round and see ya tomorrow. Night Linds." Lindsay smiled at him, and gently shut the car door. With that, Flack drove off, leaving his two best friends to it.

Thankfully, it was late at night, so nobody was around to comment on Danny's injuries, and he was glad. He hated people taking pity on him. He let Lindsay lead him to the elevator, and up to his apartment, sensing that she needed to be close to him more than he needed supporting.

* * *

Once they were in the apartment, he sank into the sofa, glad that he was finally able to sit in a comfortable chair. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the headache that had been forming above his eyebrow, and heard Lindsay shut and lock they door behind her. Then he felt her sit next to him on the sofa, and he opened his eyes to look at her.

He was totally unprepared to see the tears in her eyes.

"Linds, what wrong?"

"What wrong Danny? You've had the crap beaten out of you, that's whats wrong."

"Linds, I'm fine."

"Fine? FINE? Are you kidding me? Look at you! You have broken ribs, a concussion and a destroyed hand, and you're telling me you're OK?"

"Lindsay, listen to me. What is this all about?"

"You had the crap beaten out of you because of me Danny! You wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't taken my shift."

Danny was shocked. "Lindsay, do you feel guilty about me taking your shift?" When she turned away, he knew he was right. "Lindsay, you can't blame yourself for what happened today. It wasn't your fault. It's not like you told them to beat the crap out of me, its not like you did this to me. You don't have to feel guilty."

"But…"

"No buts. Listen Linds, if I hadn't taken your shift, it would have been you in that warehouse. And I don't think those thugs would have been as easy on you as they have been on me. I could have been an awful lot worse. I'm glad I took your shift if it means I protected you from them."

"I…"Danny cut her off again before she could argue with him.

"The whole time I was in there, I was thinking about you. About what would have happened if you were in there instead of me. Those guys weren't punks, they knew what they were doing. I know you can take care of yourself, but against those guys you wouldn't have had a chance. I hate to think about what they would have done to you. It makes me angry to even imagine them hurting you. And I don't want anyone to hurt you Linds, I couldn't live with that. Please do not feel guilty about this, cos if I had to, I would do this again, and again, and again if I could keep you safe from people like them."

Danny finished his monologue, and waited for her to process it. He wasn't sure that his message had sunk in, but he was glad to see that she smiled at him through her tears.

"You mean that?" Her voice was quiet, laced with tears, but he could still feel her surprise at his words.

"I do." He lifted his good hand and held it against her face, revelling in the feel of her head resting against his palm. "You're special to me Linds, and I'm gonna do everything I can to protect you. Always. Even if it means I get hurt instead. Cos I'd rather get hurt than see you get hurt."

It was then he saw that she accepted what he said, and he was glad. Everything he'd said had come from his heart, a place which Lindsay Monroe now completely and solely occupied. He'd never felt this way before, but he was enjoying the feeling of peace it brought him. He'd meant what he said when he said he'd keep her safe. And now it was up to him to keep his promise.

* * *

_Please review, I wasn't sure whether I liked this or not._


End file.
